Half to edwin h



. Patented Sept. 20, I898. L. E. MACUMBER. .THILL COUPLING.

(Application filed Oct. 6, 1897.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Mbdel.)

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No. 6|I,l35. Patented Sept. 20, I898. L. E. MACOMBEB.

THILL CUUPLlNG.

(Appiication filed Oct. 6, 1897.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

WITNESSES: //v VENTOH Mam 1. 5M. fm I B) Y ATTOHNE rs.

NITED STAT S PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS ELBERT MACOMBER, OF ASHLAND, WISCONSIN, ASSIONOR OF ONE HALF TOEDWIN H. ELLIS, OF SAME PLACE.

THlLL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 611,135, datedSeptember 20, 1898. Application filed October 6, 1897. Serial Ilo'.654,255. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LoUIs ELBERT MACOM BER, of Ashland, in the county ofAshland and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and ImprovedThill-Ooupling, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription. I

The object of my inventionis to provide a thill-couplin g of exceedinglysimple, durable, and economic construction, and which may beexpeditiously and conveniently manipulated either to effect a couplingor an uncoupling between the thill-irons and the axle.

A further object of the invention is to provide a coupling which when inworking position will be perfectly safe and noiseless, and, further, toprovide for the uncoupling of the device by a person seated in a vehicleto which it is attached, enabling the person -to at once release anunruly horse.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will behereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out inthe claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indi-' catecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the coupling, the thill-iron beingseparated from the body of the coupling. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionthrough the coupling in coupled position and a vertical section throughthe axle to which the coupling is attached, the section A represents aclip of any approved form which is secured in any approved manner uponthe axle A. A horizontal arm B is projected from the front of the clip.This arm is provided with a transverse rib 10 upon its upper face, nearthe clip, thereby forming a transverse channel 11 between the said riband the clip, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In

front'of the transverse rib 10 a concaved recess 12 is made in the upperface of the arm, and a longitudinal slot 13 is produced in the forwardcentral portion of the wall of the re cess 12, the said slot extendingthrough the front upper portion of the arm, forming ears 14. A jaw O isused in connection with the said arm B. At the rear end of the jaw O ahook 15 is made, which hook is adapted to enter the slot 13 in'the armB, and the jaw is pivoted to the arm by passing a pin 16 through theears of the arm and through'the said hook. When the jaw O is opened outfrom the arm, the hook will have an upward inclination, as shown in Fig.1, and when the jaw is closed over upon the arm the hook will enter theslot 13 to such an extent that the inner concaved surface of the hookwill conform to the curvature of the recess 12.

Immediately in front of the hook 15 aconcaved recess 17 is madetransversely in the inner face of the jaw, and the concaved surface ofthe hook 15 forms virtually a continuation of the curvature of therecess 17. A transverse groove 18 is located between the forward wall ofthe recess 17 of the jaw and the free end portion of the jaw, forming arib 19 at thefree end of the said jaw. When the jaw is carried over uponthe arm B to effect a coupling, the rib 10 on the arm will enter thegroove 18 in the jaw, while the end rib 19 on the jaw will enter thechannel 11 in the arm, thus effecting an interlocking enga'geme'ntbetween the twoparts and rendering it possible for the parts to remaintogether even though said two parts be not pivotally connected. Theshoulder formed at the inner end of the jaw at each side of the hookwill engage with the outer ends of the ears of the arm'B, and the inneredge of the jaw when the jaw is opened will enter a recess 15 below theears of the arm' and limit the downward movement of such jaw.

The thill-iron D is bifurcated, as usual, at its rear end, and themembers 20 of the bifurcated portion are connected by a pin 21, whichmay be integral with the said arms or may be secured thereto. This pinor cross bar 21 may be straight or it may be tapered,

for example, from the center toward the ends. A tubular washer 22 isclosely fitted to the cross-bar 21 of the thill-iron, and this washer isusually made of hard tanned leather, thoroughly soaked in tallow andpressed into shape. WVhen the thill-iron is held between the jaw and thearm of the coupling, the washer will completely fill the space betweenthe cross-bar 21 and the walls of the recesses 12 in the arm and 17 inthe jaw, as shown in Fig. 2, thus effectually preventing rattling andrendering the coupling a noiseless one.

An important feature of my invention consists in the hook 15, since ineifecting a coupling the cross-bar 21 and its washer are placed in therecess 1'7 in the jaw when the latter is in open position. A quickrearward movement of the thill-iron will force the jaw upward andrearward to the closed position upon the arm, and the jaw will be heldin its closed or locked position by means of a spring-latch 23, which ispreferably attached to the inner side of the arm B, extending above itstop, being provided upon its outer face with a lug 24. As the j awcloses over the arm the spring is forced away from the arm, and themoment that the jaw is seated upon the arm the spring returns to itsnormal position, bringing its lug 24 over the outer surface of the jaw,as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The spring is preferably provided upon itsupper end with an opening, into which a cord, strap, or other device maybe fastened and led to the body of the vehicle, so that an occupant ofsaid vehicle may have control of both couplings and at any time mayrelease the jaws, so that an unruly animal may draw the shafts from thecouplings and free itself from the vehicle.

I have hereinbefore described the operation of closing the jaw 0 uponthe arm B by pressing the cross-bar 21 of the thill-iron D rearwardlyagainst the hook 15. This hook is of such dimensions that it will notproject into the thill-iron-receiving cavity of the arm B when the jawswings from its open position to its closed position, Fig. 1. Thecross-bar 21 may therefore be either pressed backward against theforward face of the hook 15, as

described, or the cross-bar may be placed directly into the recess 12 ofthe arm B at the rear of the hook 15, and the jaw O is then closed overthe cross-bar 21 by hand.

In Figs. 4, 5, and 6 I have illustrated a slightly-modified form of thecoupling in which the recess 12 in the arm B is tapering, consideredlaterally, and the thill-iron D comprises a body 25, a side bar 26, anda tapering cross-bar 27, the taper of the crossbar conformingsubstantially to the taper of the recess 12 of the arm 13. An improvedform of latch is shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, it being the form which ispreferred. This latch (designated as E) is made of spring material andconsists of a top cross-bar 28 and side bars 29, the side bars of thelatch extending downward along the outer side faces of the arm 13, andthe lower ends of the side bars are secured to a shaft 30, preferablypolygonal, which is passed through the arm 13 and is held againstturning. The springlatch is provided at the top with an eye 31, to whichthe cord or strap is attached. The cross-bar 28 of the latch is madesemicylindrioal in cross-section, the under face being flat. When thelatch E is employed, the free endof the jaw C is made tapering, and thelatch is so placed upon the arm that when the jaw is closed on the armthe cross-bar of the latch will extend over and nearly in contact withthe upper surface of the jaw, as shown in Fig. 5. When it is desired touncouple, the spring-latch is carried sufficiently far rearward to clearthe free end of the jaw and permit the jaw to open.

I desire it to be understood that the parts B and C may be applied tothe end of the thill, if desired, thus making a thill-iron, enabling thecoupling to be attached to the ordinary clip.

Having thus described any invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. A thill-coupling comprising an arm provided withmeans for attachment to an axle and having a recess adapted to form aseat for the cross-bar of the thill-iron, and a jaw adapted for lockingengagement with said arm and provided with a recess which in the closedposition of the jaw completes the cavity adapted to receive thecross-bar of the thilliron, the jaw being further provided with a hookwhich in the open position of the jaw projects between the recess of thejaw and the recess of the arm, but does not project into the recess ofthe arm during the closing movement of the jaw so that the cross-bar ofthe thill-iron may either be placed directly into the recess of the arm,or placed in the recess of the jaw and pressed rearward toward therecess of the arm to cause the jaw to swing into the closed position,substantially as described.

2. A thill-coupling comprising an arm adapted for attachment to an axleand having a recess adapted to form a seat for the cross-bar of thethill-iron, also a transverse groove and a transverse rib locatedbetween said recess and the attachment end or axle end of the arm, and ajaw pivoted to the free end of the arm and having a recess to fit thecross-bar of the thill-iron, the jaw having at its free end, atransverse rib and a transverse groove adapted to interlock with thoseof the arm.

3. A thill coupling comprising an arm adapted for attachment to an axleand having a recess adapted to form a seat for the cross-bar of thethill-iron, a jaw pivoted to the free end of the arm and having a recessto fit the cross-bar ofthe thill-iron, and a spring-latch consisting ofside bars capable eye, secured to the central portion of said of ayielding movement longitudinally of the cross-bar.

arm and secured to said arm between its recess and its attachment end oraxle end, a LOUIS ELBERT MAOOMBER' cross-bar connecting the ends of saidside WVitnesses:

bars and adapted to engage the jaw near its J. S. ELLIS,

free end, and a fastening device, such as an E. H. ELLIS.

